Down To Earth

PARASITIC
PARATRANSIT

By Sunita
Narain

The time of the
toxic air is here again, and where do we stand
with our clean-up actions?

Smell the air and you
will know what I am talking about. The fact is
that this year, more than ever before, there is
public awareness about why toxic air matters.
Nobody denies the problem—and this is not a
small change. The fact is that even till last
year, there was mummer, stutter and statements to
say that people do not die from air pollution. I
say this because we have had to challenge these
positions in courts and outside.

It is also a fact that
even though health impacts are shouted about,
there is still only “little” more
appetite for action. This is not to say that
things are not happening; but that whatever
happens, happens after a protracted fight. Every
solution is contested with the view that this only
constitutes a small part of the problem—the
1 per cent problem-as I have written earlier.
There is also no desire to push the boundaries so
that the action matches the scale and urgency of
the public health crisis.

So, what has happened
and what needs to be done. First, let’s sort
out some basic facts. Delhi has its own sources of
pollution, which need to be addressed and reduced.
The reason that pollution peaks in winter is not
only because of the farmers in Punjab and Haryana
who burn crop stubble at this time. Pollution is
worse in winter because of adverse weather
conditions, which lead to inversion (cold air
settles); moisture (traps the pollutants) and poor
wind (does not allow for dispersion). This is why
even though the sources of pollution remain
constant through the year, the level of pollution
peaks in winter.

Second, certain things
are now done and must not be dusted. This year,
there is a comprehensive action plan for pollution
control in the National Capital Region (NCR). The
plan handles all sources of pollution; has
deadlines and agencies with responsibilities. Now
let’s get on with it. We also have evidence
about what is causing pollution; so again, we
don’t need to spend time blaming the
“other”. The Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MOES) has just released its emission
inventory-pollutants and sources-for Delhi and its
neighbouring areas. It establishes what we knew,
that vehicles are the main cause of pollution in
the city and NCR-contributing over 40 per
cent.

In the vehicle segment,
heavy commercial vehicles (trucks) and
commercial/personal vehicles like taxis are the
major polluting source. It points to the fact that
taxis (Ola, Uber etc.) travel 400 km/day, as
against personal cars (55 km/day). It is a saving
grace that these vehicles are fuelled on
compressed natural gas and not diesel. But even
with cleaner fuel, their net contribution is high.
This requires restrain on the trucks entering
Delhi and on ensuring that there is reduction in
overall personal vehicles and that even taxi use
is controlled through augmented bus and metro
services. It also means that paratransit (like
taxis and autorickshaws) must use the cleanest
fuel and technology as the miles travelled are the
highest and so is their pollution potential. All
this is known. We need action,
now.

The other source, which
has increased by a staggering 48 per cent between
2010 and 2018 is industry. This is because this
part of the world has thousands of small
industrial units, all previously using pet coke
and now coal. After months of bitter wrangling in
court, pet coke use in this region is banned. But
it is allowed for industries that use it as
feedstock and was allowed through imports without
any license. Now, again, after much delay, there
is a ban on the import of pet coke. Also there are
standards for sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen
dioxide (NOx) for these industries. This took over
six months of protracted arguments in court. But
now that the standards have been issued, there is
little or no enforcement. This is what needs to be
changed.

But there is some good
news. The MOES report finds that emissions from
residential sector have reduced by half from 2010
to 2018. This is because of the increased
penetration of LPG even in the poorer areas of the
city. This means that something can be done. It
will show up in the atmosphere. We will breathe
better and cleaner air. This is where our efforts
have to be deployed. This is where we must stay
focussed. Till next winter. With better
news.